Development within Benin's telecom market continues to be restricted by the poor condition of the country's fixed-line infrastructure.
Research & Markets note that the use of fixed-line voice and internet services is low, and consequently little revenue is derived from these sectors. Mobile networks account for almost all internet connections, and also carry most voice traffic.
As such, it is this sector which is attracting most investment among operators. There has been some progress resulting from improved international internet connectivity and the rapidly escalating bandwidth available, which has led to lower access pricing for end-users.
This additional bandwidth has assisted mobile network operators to expand their networks, and provided the necessary backhaul capacity to support the growing use of mobile data applications and service, including m-commerce and m-banking. Improved telecoms infrastructure has the potential to transform many areas of the country's economy, bringing a greater proportion of the population into the orbit of internet commerce and connectivity.
